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NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

K–10Auslan K–10 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2026
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Stage 4

Role of language, culture and identity

Content is provided for:

  • Additional: students learning Auslan as an additional language
  • Prior learning/experience: students learning Auslan with knowledge and/or experience from in or outside the classroom
  • First: students learning Auslan as their first language.
Identity of the Deaf community
Additional
  • Reflect on how learning Auslan has impacted on their identity

  • Demonstrate understanding of the nature of identity in relation to themselves, the Deaf community and the wider hearing community

  • Create a written text in English to describe how their identity is shaped by language and culture

Prior
  • Reflect on their own language(s), culture(s) and identity as a user of 2 or more languages and how their identity impacts on intercultural experiences

  • Explore how people in Australia and around the world build shared group identity activities

  • Explore the nature of culture, how it is related to ways of thinking and using language, and consider the identities of d/Deaf people who may be influenced outside the Deaf community

  • Create a written text in English and/or multimodal presentation using Auslan to describe the nature and significance of the relationship between people, culture and place or space

First
  • Discuss and reflect on how their acquisition of Auslan and belonging to the Deaf community have contributed to their own sense of identity

  • Reflect on the nature of bicultural and intercultural experiences and their identity as a user of 2 or more languages in a multicultural social context

  • Create a written text in English and/or multimodal presentation using Auslan to describe how Deaf gain can benefit wider society

Language and cultural awareness
Additional
  • Develop awareness of the sociocultural context, nature and status of Auslan and of the Deaf community in multilingual Australia

  • Explore connections between language, cultural practices, values, beliefs and identity and the expression of these connections in Auslan

  • Reflect on how Auslan and associated communicative and cultural behaviours are similar to or different from their own language(s) and forms of cultural expression

Prior
  • Explore the sociocultural context, nature and status of Auslan and of the Deaf community in multilingual Australia

  • Compare connections between language and culture to concepts in their own language(s) and culture(s)

  • Reflect on how a community’s use of language maintains, reflects and strengthens cultural values, including Auslan and Deaf culture

First
  • Reflect on the relationship between languages and cultures

  • Explore how languages change in response to social and cultural change, expand and develop to accommodate the needs of the users

  • Identify strategies used to preserve, protect and promote Auslan and other languages, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Sign Languages

  • Reflect on how intercultural interactions and experiences impact the development of Auslan and its community

Related files